


Of Making Your Own Destiny

by Brackenfrond



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: (but later on and I will post a warning when that happens), AU from season four onwards, Angst, Bromance, Female!Kay, I can do it too, Misgendering, Multi, SO MUCH BROMANCE, Trans Character, honestly the show messed up lore a lot, later on, messing up Arthurian Lore, tagging is hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-25 08:54:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6188194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brackenfrond/pseuds/Brackenfrond
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kay wanted to get out of her home as soon as possible. Bors wanted to see the world. Galahad offered them a way out.<br/>Meeting Arthur Pendragon was not part of the plan. But maybe it isn't such a bad thing after all.<br/>And destiny can be changed, you just have to be willing to try.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Making Your Own Destiny

Merlin should have assumed that this quest would not be easy.

First off, he and Arthur had been captured by a slave trader, had been thrown in a pit, met up with Gwaine and dragged out into a fight to the death by said slave trader. After Merlin had caused a fire and they’d managed to escape, he thought that the rest of the quest would be relatively easy.

Not a chance.

Somehow, the three of them had managed to be tied against a tree by another three travellers. Merlin suspected they’d gotten the jump on them because the only woman in the group had practically fallen on Arthur from the tree she had been perched in and had given him, Arthur and Gwaine the fright of their life. Gwaine had tried to flirt his way out, only to fail miserably (“And who are you?” “Way out of your league.”). Merlin didn’t think the three of them were slave traders or working with Cenred because the blonde man looked really, really guilty.

“Was tying them up really necessary, Kay?” He asked, his eyes constantly flickering from them to the woman - Kay, Merlin assumed. She snorted, twirling a knife between her hands.

“Remember the time we didn’t tie up that one guy and he pushed you into the lake?”

“You were covered in pond scum for weeks.” The other man added. “And you got frogspawn in your mouth.”

“But still…” Blonde bit his lip, running a hand through his curly hair. “We can’t just leave them here.”

“He’s right. Someone will realise we’re missing sooner or later and then you’ll be in serious trouble.” Arthur spoke up. Blonde gestured to Arthur.

“He’s right!”

“He’s just saying that so we’ll untie him.” Kay made her way over, leaning to look Arthur in the eyes. “Are you one of Cenred’s men?”

“Completely the opposite, actually.” Arthur said, eying the knife she still had in her hand. The other man, the one with the dark hair and skin, made his way over, eyes narrowed.

“Funny thing is... I recognise yo...oh. Oh.”

“Oh what, Bors?” Blonde asked. Bors backed away from them.

“That’s the prince.” He said. Arthur raised an eyebrow at Kay, who actually looked disappointed.

“I was counting on instilling terror into you.” She shrugged. “So, Princess, what you doing in Cenred’s lands, hm?”

“I thought it would be obvious.” Kay turned to Bors, who shrugged. “He’s looking for what we’re looking for. The cup.”

“Technically, the thing I should be looking for. Because the druid said it was my destiny or something.” Blonde pointed out. Merlin’s interest was caught at that - they, or at least the blonde one - had contact with druids?

“Oh yes, the great ‘destiny of Galahad the Pure’!” Kay put on an overly pompous voice, tossing her hair over her shoulder for what Merlin assumed was dramatic effect. “‘Ye shall find the Cup of Life and ye shall be its guardian and protector, oh Pure One, and find your destiny by doing so’!” The blonde - Merlin guessed his name was Galahad - scowled at Kay. She laughed. “Oh, don’t look like that, ‘Had. It’s just a bit of fun!” She elbowed him in the side.

“It did not sound like that.” Galahad muttered to himself.

“He did keep calling you pure though.” Bors said. Gwaine snorted loudly.

“Pure as in, the Biblical sense?”

“I really don’t like him.” Kay said absently. “Can I gag him? Do not waggle your eyebrows at me, I have a knife.”

“You are not killing anyone, Kay. Or castrating.” Kay looked highly disappointed at Galahad’s words. “We could work together.”

“Why should we?” Arthur asked.

“You’re the ones tied up.” Galahad pointed out. “Look, you want to find the cup for some reason. I have some destiny which involves finding it. If we work together, you get the cup, and probably without resorting to violence.”

“He makes an excellent point.” Gwaine said.

“If he can get the cup then it will be useful to bring them along. Also...well, we are in Cenred’s territory.” Merlin added. Arthur sighed, before nodding.

“Fine. We accept your offer.” He said and, for the first time since they met them, Galahad smiled. It made him look pretty, not handsome...he looked too feminine to be anything other than pretty. Kay let out a huff and Bors shrugged, indifferent. “Now, can you cut the ropes?” Galahad did, slicing through the ropes with his knife. “Thank you.”

“No problem. Tying you up wasn’t my idea, just so you know - I’m Galahad. As you probably know. That’s Bors, and then we have Kayla. Though she goes by Kay.”

“Why?” Gwaine asked, rather unnecessarily. Kay snorted.

“Papa wanted a boy.” She said. “Instead, he got me." The subject was dropped.

“Well, you know me. This is Gwaine and my manservant, Merlin.” Bors let out a startled noise.

“You have a manservant?”

“He is a prince.” Galahad pointed out.

“Yes, but he took him on a quest.”

“We brought you along.” Kay quipped and the snort that Arthur let out at that was embarrassingly unprincely-like. Galahad’s smile turned into more of a smirk.

“She grows on you. Like mould or an uncomfortable rash.” He offered Merlin a hand up, ignoring Kay’s indignant squawk. “I hope you have an idea as to where this cup is, because I’m pretty clueless.”

“Don’t worry.” Arthur said. “We do.”

XoooX

Of course the druid’s camp was in a cave, all naturey and shit. Gwaine should have suspected it, really. No one else seemed surprised, and Arthur lead the way inside.

The cave was cold, also as suspected, but at least it wasn't damp. It also looked empty - no magical cup or anything similar in sight. Arthur nudged Galahad in the side.

“Go on.” He said and the slightest man raised a bewildered eyebrow, before clearing his throat.

“Uh, hello?” Gwaine heard Kay snort her amusement. “Uh, my name’s Galahad. I was told that it was my duty to...to protect the cup of life?”

There was silence and no movement. Bors frowned.

“Maybe use your title?” He suggested and Galahad raised an eyebrow.

“I am not calling myself the pure, it sounds way too pretentious.”

“But it worked.” Kay, who had stepped forward earlier to see if she could spot anyone in the dark, took a hurried step backwards to rejoin the group. Gwaine saw other figures moving in the darkness, hooded men and women. One stepped forward - the head druid, he suspected. He felt Merlin shift next to him, moving slightly closer to Arthur, who had a hand on the hilt of his sword. Galahad was still at the front of their group, and he managed to meet the eyes of the druid.

“I foretold your coming.” He said. “You seek the cup of life, do you not?” It took Kay nudging Galahad forward with her hand for the man to answer.

“I...I was told it was my duty to protect it. That it would help me find my destiny.”

“Of course.” The druid dipped his head. Arthur was strangely quiet, but that may be because Galahad alone was doing a good job at talking to the druid, to get the cup. “I will offer you some advice, destiny doesn’t necessarily have to be followed. It is up to you to decide whether you should follow it or not.” Galahad blinked, before nodding.

“I understand.” He said, and the druid offered a smile, before bringing the cup forward and handing it to Galahad.

“Then it is yours. I wish you luck, Galahad, and your companions.” Galahad started, as though he had forgotten that the others were there.

“I...thank you.” He gave an awkward half bow. Arthur placed a hand on Galahad’s shoulder.

“Let’s go.” He said and Galahad nodded and their group turned, exiting the cave. Gwaine’s eyes flickered to the cup in Galahad’s hands, and felt a sense of foreboding fill him.

Why did he think that them removing the cup from the druid’s care was a terrible mistake?

**Author's Note:**

> Kay, Bors and Galahad are my interpretations of them, as if they were in the Merlin TV series. So if they aren't at all like their original characterisations, that is why.  
> Anyway, I have a mild obsession with Merlin...or, well, a really large obsession, hence the fic.  
> Pairings are still in discussion - comment on any you would like to see and I may include them! This will get better as the chapters go along, I just need to set things up, include characters, all that stuff.


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